


Aliferous

by wormo



Series: Originals [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Dragons, Fantasy, Gen, M/M, Major Character Injury, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-01-31 13:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12682557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wormo/pseuds/wormo
Summary: DJ never thought he'd live a life of adventure. The most exciting he did was occasionally sneak out with his best friend to spray paint on their high school.His entire life seems so small and insignificant in comparison to the life he ends up leading.Once eager to grow old, he now fears an untimely end.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> you may recognize this first chapter from yellow tape, another story on my account!  
> this is the continued version of yellow tape, which is a short story written for my creative writing class.  
> i'm kinda writing as i go along so it's gonna be unprofessional and the continuity might be a little messed up at times. if you notice any issues in the story, please let me know!

**PROLOGUE**

The sun is long gone, carrying its golden light down beneath the horizon. Water drips from the ceiling of the cave, bouncing off of a glimmering blue wing. The wings stretch, catching the moon’s minimal light and reflecting it onto the cave walls. Large, scaly feet with gnarled gray claws move across the cold, uneven floor, drawing close to a small stream that runs through the ground. Human knees fall to the ground and dragon’s hands cup the frigid water, bringing it up to the creature’s humanlike face to drink. Water slips through gaps in between its cracked claws, dripping onto its knees. Eventually it gives up, dunking its face into the water and drinking until it’s satisfied. It brings its head out of the water, hearing its breath and seeing clouds of white appear before its face. It stands up and trudges back to the other side of the cave, curling up beneath the only beam of moonlight coming through a hole in the ceiling. It rests its head on its tail, and its breathing evens out.

 

**CHAPTER 1**

 

A blazing red and orange sky hangs above a loud city, the smell of fast food and cigarette smoke clouding the air as two teenagers walk at a leisurely pace along the cracked pavement.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” Alex says, curling the cord of his earbuds around his fingers and looking down at his shirt.

“Are you kidding me? You’re not some white guy in Hawaii, Ax!” DJ argues, turning around to walk backwards, facing his friend. “I beg of you, _remove the goddamn floral button-down._ The pattern makes you look like a scaleblood.”

“Never,” Alex says dramatically. His smile fades slightly as he tugs at the corner of his shirt. “It would be kinda cool to be a scaleblood, wouldn’t it? The wings and all.”

DJ hums in consideration, looking up at the sky. “Nah, it’s not worth it. I’d rather not have the ugly scales and the even uglier temper. If I were leather-face, you’d probably be dead by now for wearing that.”

“Lay off, I couldn’t wear my sweater! I would’ve died.”

“But why did you wear a floral button-down?! It’s like you do this just to piss me off.”

Alex looks over at DJ with one eyebrow raised, a smug smile on his face. DJ raises his arm to knock Alex’s baseball hat off, but the back of his foot catches on the uneven pavement and he stumbles backwards. He lets out a high-pitched squeak as he falls, his backpack catching the brunt of the fall. He looks up to see Alex trying and failing to hold in laughter. Alex helps him up, and they continue the walk home.

“At least I’m dressed for summer,” Alex says, bumping DJ’s shoulder with his own as he walks beside him. “I thought you were gonna pass out today in gym with your giant hoodie.” DJ elbows Alex in the ribs, which starts a shoving-fight that eventually ends with DJ stumbling into his front yard fence. A small mutt comes running up to the fence, barking like mad. DJ laughs and reaches over the fence to pet his dog, Mikha, who snaps at his hand before licking it and quieting down.

“Wanna come in?” DJ asks, turning towards Alex. Alex is staring down the road with a blank look on his face, eyes slightly glazed over. “Alex?”

Alex blinks and seems to come back to reality, shaking his head slightly. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I asked if you wanted to come in.” DJ leans against the fence and drops his worn backpack on the ground next to him. “I’ve got food, and Apocalypse of the Damned 2.”

“No, I should, um… I should get home. The sun’s gonna set soon.”

DJ frowns, staring at his friend. “I thought your parents didn’t care.”

For a moment, Alex looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Oh, I-- They’re, uh, starting to care more, y’know?”

DJ pushes himself off the fence and takes a couple steps towards Alex, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

Alex shrugs him off. “I’m doing fine. My parents just want me home tonight, I dunno why.” His voice is slowly getting more annoyed, and DJ backs off.

“Okay, whatever you say.” He sighs, not wanting the day to end on a bad note. “I’ll… see you tomorrow, ‘kay?”

Alex nods. “Later.” He starts walking down the road to his house, not looking back once. DJ frowns and opens his gate, nudging Mikha back with his foot. Mikha whines, looking up at him.

“You know me so well,” DJ says quietly, closing the gate and sitting down on the grass. Mikha jumps into his lap and licks his face, making him laugh and push his dog away. “Mikha, down! It don’t feel right to be laughing.” DJ leans over to grab a nearly torn apart tennis ball lying a few feet away, tossing it across the small backyard. Mikha goes wild, running after it and barking. DJ gets up and leans over the fence to grab his backpack before heading inside, closing the door before Mikha can ram himself into the gap and get inside too.

DJ runs upstairs and throws his backpack onto his bed, taking his phone out of his back pocket. He’s not sure what it could be, but he feels like he did something wrong when he was talking to Alex. It’s not like Alex to get annoyed at him like that, especially after something as small as pushing too much during a conversation. He feels the need to apologize indirectly anyways, so DJ dials Alex’s number and starts pacing around his small bedroom.

The phone rings once.  
Twice.  
Three times.  
It stops ringing.

DJ pulls the phone away and stares at it, frowning. He sits down on his window ledge, leg starting to bounce as he sends Alex a question mark via text. Alex replies a moment later with _“srry cant talk, whst is it”_.

DJ responds back with _“wanna have a sleepover? i got lotsa food”_. He waits for five minutes, staring anxiously at his phone. As soon as he had sent the text, it showed that Alex had read it. After four minutes, the three bubbles indicating that Alex is typing pop up before disappearing. They repeat this for a full minute before a short response comes in. _“cant, i think im getting sick”_.

 _“that sucks”_ DJ types back, lying on his back in the window seat and pressing his feet against the miniature ceiling of it. _“i can bring u uhhh soup or smth”_.

 _“m jsut gonna rest”_. Alex’s final response concerns DJ. Alex doesn’t have autocorrect turned on, but it’s usually a red flag that he’s upset when he’s making typos. DJ goes to ask if he’s okay, but remembers how Alex reacted when he asked that earlier today. He gives up and puts his phone down, sitting up on the seat. His stomach grumbles and he gets up to stretch and walk downstairs. His mother had left a small note on the counter, listing what she’d bought and what’s being saved for a family reunion coming up next week.

DJ grabs a soda and walks over to the couch, flopping onto his back and turning on the television. Nothing good is on, so he switches to the news to serve as background noise. As he stares at the ceiling, something catches his ear.

“The gang of rogue scalebloods known as the Talon Ring are now travelling the country, terrorizing local youths. The president has theorized that the gang is infecting people by awakening the dragon blood that may be in their systems,” the reporter on the tv says. DJ sits up and stares at the screen as pictures start flashing across it. “Half-bloods all over the country are being harassed by humans who believe that any blood containing scales should be spilled.” The report suddenly stops, and switches to another scene with a man speaking urgently.

“This is breaking news for the area of Lake Fortitude. Rogue scalebloods assumed to be affiliated with the Talon Ring were seen wandering the streets of at eleven-am today. Authorities urge half-bloods to stay inside with all entrances locked. Police are searching the city for the gang. Updates on the situation will come hourly. Stay safe, citizens of Fortitude.”

DJ stares at the screen, mouth hanging open. The Talon Ring, patrolling Fortitude. No way. He springs off of the couch and runs to the front window, staring out into the street. He doesn’t see anything, save for a couple of his neighbors closing their shutters or drawing their curtains. DJ lets in Mikha and feeds him, foregoing a meal for himself. His stomach is turning slightly and he’s lost his appetite. 

_Alex._

The thought hits him like a brick. DJ sits up, eyes wide as he snatches his phone out of his pocket and dials Alex’s number. He stares out the window at the darkening sky, relief flooding his chest when he hears Alex pick up.

“Hello?” Alex’s voice sounds scratchy, almost distorted.

“Are your parents home?” DJ demands.

“What? No. I mean-- uh--”

“I’m coming over.”

“Wait, no, you don’t know-- just, no, don’t come over,” Alex begs. DJ hesitates at the sincerity and desperation in Alex’s voice, but his mind is set. 

“I’ll see you in a few minutes.” DJ hang up and grabs his backpack, setting his books aside and grabbing a first aid kit and a pocketknife, shoving them in alongside a phone charger and a sketchbook. He slings the backpack over his shoulder and makes sure he locks the front door behind him as he leaves.

DJ walks the familiar street, passing the church and turning down South Niman. DJ walks quickly, looking behind him every few seconds. Squirrels dropping acorns from the trees turn into menacing footsteps that have DJ whirling around with his knife halfway out of his pocket after every other step. He feels his heart starting to beat faster and takes a moment to calm himself down, decidedly avoiding having a panic attack in the street. He doesn’t have much time to keep walking, though, before three police cars zoom past him and turn down Alex’s street in the distance. DJ feels his stomach drop as the worst possibility becomes the only thing he can think about. DJ starts to run.

Worn tennis shoes slap against the pavement, accompanied by the frantic breathing of the sprinting teenager. DJ turns a sharp corner, nearly tripping over himself. He staggers, manages to catch his balance, and keeps running until he sees a familiar house in the distance. He stops for a moment and his heart seems to stop beating. Three police cars surround the house, lights flashing. Heat builds up behind his eyes and he doesn’t bother blinking it away. He breaks back into a run, racing up to the house. As he gets to the bushes that border the yard a police officer steps towards him and puts a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back slightly.

“Sorry, kid, you can’t be here,” the police officer tells him.

“What happened?” DJ speaks past the lump in his throat, jerking the hand off his shoulder. He know he looks and sounds frantic and probably a little insane, but he couldn’t care less.

“Go home,” the officer says firmly. “You can’t be here.”

“Where’s Alex?!”

“I’m not gonna tell you again, kid--” The officer is cut off by a strangled, bloodcurdling scream from inside the house. DJ feels his heart drop from his throat to his shoes. He shoves past the officer, ignoring her shouting. He sprints to the front door, years of the fifty meter dash making it easy to evade the cop behind him. He throws the door open and his entire body goes numb.

The smell of copper hits him first followed by the sight of blood splattered across the scuffed hardwood floor. Alex is curled up on the floor breathing heavily. The back of his sweater is torn to shreds and soaked in blood. Protruding from his head at the hairline are two small horns, and emerging from the torn flesh of his back are two glossy deep purple wings, dripping in blood. DJ stumbles backwards, his head buzzing and his mind reeling. Out of the shadows steps a creature. A creature with large green wings, two twisted horns on her head, and a thin, shining tail that tapers to a serrated point. A scaleblood.

The woman looks surprised at DJ’s appearance, but her face quickly morphs into a smug smile. Her green-yellow eyes feel like they’re burning into DJ’s skull.

“This your friend?” she asks, pointing down at Alex. DJ looks back down at Alex, whose panting has turned to pained whimpering. His new wings are twitching, and each movement draws a small, heartbreaking shriek of pain from him.

“What did you _do?_ ” DJ whispers, breaking out of his petrified state to kneel beside his friend.

“I brought him to life,” the woman answers smoothly. “You’re welcome.”

“It--” DJ swallows the lump in his throat and tries to put as much venom into his voice that he can. “It doesn’t look like it.” His voice wobbles, and the venom falls short.

DJ looks down at his friend, who’s shaking like a wounded animal. He sees tears streaming down Alex’s face and reaches down to help him, but jerks his hand back as Alex screams “ _No!_ ”

“How do I help him?” DJ asks, looking up to stare at the scaleblood. 

The woman looks over to the windows, eyes narrowing. The smirk never leaves her face as she looks back down at DJ. “You think you can handle this?”

“Just tell me!” DJ demands, anger rising in his chest.

“Easy, kid. Just take him to the sea.”

“To the sea?” DJ blanches. His mind races, his memory jumping to a seven hour car drive to the beach when he was ten. _No fucking way._ “Are you insane?”

“He needs it.”

“Why?! A-And how? The nearest beach is, what, seven hours away by car?”

The woman groans, kneeling at Alex’s other side. “Look, we don’t have time for this! I can get you out of here and give you a head start, but we need to get going now. Understand?”

DJ looks from the woman’s face down to Alex, who’s trying to take steadying breaths.  
“Okay.”

After tearing up Alex’s bathroom and bedroom for gauze and cloth, he binds Alex’s wings to his back as gently as possible. He sits back and watches blood start to soak into the makeshift bandages, his stomach turning. He forces himself to look away and crawls over to his backpack. He shoves his phone in his hoodie pocket along with his charger, and keeps the knife in his jeans pocket. He takes the small bottle of antiseptic from the first aid kid and puts it in his jeans pocket. He looks down at his backpack and nods to himself, turning away from it. He nudges Alex. “I’m gonna carry you, okay?” he says gently. “Like a koala.” Alex nods wordlessly, still staring at the floor. DJ picks him up with difficulty, holding him like a baby. Alex buries his face in DJ’s shoulder, holding on tightly.

“Where do I go?” DJ asks the woman. “We’re surrounded.”

The woman’s wings fold out and she gestures towards the back door. DJ carries Alex out into the backyard and the woman grabs him, lifting him up into the air. Wind swirls around him as the woman’s massive wings struggle to keep the three in the air. He feels his stomach drop slightly as the ground disappears from beneath him, getting smaller and smaller. As they’re lifted over the roof of the house, DJ sees five other scalebloods burst out the front door and attack the police. He forces himself to look away as guns go off and screams rip through the air, most of which coming from humans. He hears Alex make a pained noise and holds him tighter. \--- 

The woman drops the two of them on the rocky shore of Lake Fortitude. She drops to the ground, her wings drooping as she catches her breath. DJ loosens his grip on Alex but doesn’t let go, scooting backwards on the rocks. The woman stands up after a moment and looks at them both. 

“Good luck, kid,” she says to DJ. “You’ve got a dragon on your hands now.” With that, she stretches her wings and shoots into the air, flying back in the direction of Alex’s neighborhood.  
DJ looks down at Alex and pinches his arm to get his attention. “I’m gonna let go, ‘kay?” Alex nods, and DJ carefully lays him down on his side on the rocks. DJ stands up, looking out onto the lake. He reaches into his hoodie pocket and takes out his phone. He turns it on and sends a text to his parents: _“love you, gotta go, back later”_. 

He makes sure it sends before shutting off his phone and throwing it as far as he can, watching it disappear into the dark water with a distant splash.


	2. To Live on the Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus begins the chase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jesus, it's been a while. i've actually been stockpiling chapters, and i've got around 30 pages of the story so far in gdocs. i'll be updating regularly until i run out :P

DJ wakes up with a groan. Everything hurts, and the beach’s rocky surface is digging into his back. It’s more annoying than painful, but as soon as DJ sits up, it’s definitely more painful. His entire body is sore and his head is spinning. Once his eyes have adjusted to the bright sunlight, he sees Alex over by the edge of the water. His shoes and socks are sitting beside him, and he’s swishing his feet around in the water.

“Uh,” DJ looks for something to say. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Alex says, uncharacteristically quiet. He doesn’t turn to face DJ.

“Are you okay?” DJ asks. “It’s-- It’s a stupid question, I know, but…”

DJ doesn’t hear Alex respond, but he does see Alex’s shoulders start to shake. He hears a small whine and he crawls over to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. Alex crumbles, leaning into DJ and dissolving into incoherent sobs. DJ feels guilt and dread pool in his stomach and heat building behind his eyes. He keeps his hands from shaking as he holds his friend, mumbling anything comforting that comes to mind. They stay like that for several minutes until DJ feels Alex pull away, quickly wiping his face.

“I’m sorry,” Alex says in a shaky voice. “I just…”

“I know.” DJ takes Alex’s hand, squeezing it lightly and giving his friend a reassuring, albeit watery smile. Alex finally smiles and squeezes DJ’s hand in return, looking away. He turns his head back towards the water.

“I want…” he seems to struggle with the words, kicking up some water and watching it fly back down. “I want to go somewhere, but I don’t know where.”

“The sea?” DJ asks, remembering the scaleblood woman’s words from last night.

Alex seems to perk up immediately. “Yeah! Yeah, the sea. How did you know?”

“Uh, how much do you remember from last night?”

“A lot, but I was mostly caught up in the awful shit going on with my back.”

“Well, this scaleblood basically… She told me to take you to the sea. She said you need it.”

“Kinda feels like I need it,” Alex murmurs, staring at the surface of the water. “But… I can’t. I’ve been marked now, haven’t I? We won’t make it five miles before…” He trails off, turning to look sadly at DJ.

DJ frowns. “Y’know what? We’re getting you to the sea. We can’t go back home, so this is what we’re doing instead. Maybe we can find something good there.”

“Maybe I can join the Talon Ring,” Alex says hopefully. DJ’s jaw drops.

“You’d want to _join_ them?” he asks. “I was more thinking that we’d tell them to turn you back!”

“How would they do that?” Alex asks, slightly annoyed. “I’ve already been marked, and they have a good cause. I’d rather join them.”

“You’re kidding. You want to join that ring of psychopaths?”

“What do you want me to do?!” Alex raises his voice and stands up, staggering slightly. “I don’t have any options, DJ! I’m gonna have to cut ties with my family, my friends, and eventually you!” DJ stands too as Alex wobbles on his feet, ready to catch his friend. Alex shoves him away and steadies himself. “I know you’re scared of scalebloods, but that’s who I am now. And if you don’t want to have anything to do with that, then _leave._ ”

There’s a long pause. DJ stares at Alex, his anger fading. He knows that Alex has been through a lot. He sighs, rubbing his eyes, and looks back up at his friend.

“I’m sorry,” he says sincerely. “I shouldn’t have… I know you’re stressed out, and I want to help you. Let’s just get you to the sea, okay?”

“Then what?” Alex asks, his aggressive stance lessening.

“We’ll figure it out.” DJ holds out his arms and Alex hesitates before taking a couple steps forward and hugging his friend. “Trust me.”

“Only if you trust me too,” Alex mumbles next to DJ’s ear. DJ nods.

“I do.”

\---

“My legs are tired,” DJ whines. “We’ve been walking for _so long._ Can’t we try hitchhiking?”

“Haven’t you heard any horror story ever?! Hitchhiking will get us killed,” Alex responds, walking a couple feet ahead of DJ. Cars zip by on the highway next to them. He looks up, and his heart jumps. “Deej, look!”

A hundred or so feet away is a large green sign. “ _Now leaving Fortitude. Thanks for visiting!_ ”

Alex whoops, turning to look at DJ. “We’re getting closer, man! We’re almost outta Fortitude!” DJ manages to muster a smile, but Alex’s quickly drops. “That’s… Not much.”

“Maybe we can catch a bus once we’re out,” DJ says. “Do you have money?”

“Yeah, I always keep some in my phone case,” Alex responds, reaching to the back pocket of his shorts and pulling out his smartphone. DJ’s stomach plummets.

“Alex!” he yells, snatching the phone out of Alex’s hand.

“Geez, what?!”

“Your phone, your fucking phone! You’re probably being tracked!”

The blood drains from Alex’s face. “Oh, shit.” He looks down at the phone. “Oh, shit! What do we do?!”

DJ looks over at approaching cars, and a lightbulb goes off in his head. “Take out the SIM card, now.” Alex quickly does, taking the battery out of his phone too. DJ takes off his big hoodie and shoves it into his friend’s hands, taking the phone. He takes the SIM card and the battery and throw them onto the sidewalk, smashing them with his foot. Alex seems to wilt slightly. “That’s not the only thing. Put on my hoodie to cover your wings and put up the hood. Zip it up, too.”

“Goodbye Alex, hello hunchback of Notre Dame.” Alex puts on the hoodie with difficulty, wincing when he stretches to get his arms through the sleeves. The hoodie is a little large on DJ, and it practically swallows Alex. The sleeves droop over his hands, and he stares at the fabric. DJ disregards the blush on his face and smiles, putting Alex’s phone in his jeans pocket. DJ walks out to the edge of the sidewalk and sticks his thumb out, waving wildly as cars pass.

After a few minutes, a car slows down and pulls over. A kind-looking woman with her wild curls tied back into a loose bun greets them and asks them where they need to go.

“Far,” DJ replies. “We, uh, need to get to the ocean. Anywhere remotely near that would be a huge help. My friend over here--” he pauses to pull Alex to his side and slings his arm around Alex’s shoulders. “--can’t walk much farther. Can you help us, please?”

“Oh, of course I can!” the woman exclaims, an out-of-place Southern accent lacing her voice. “I’m headin’ over to Lake Tenacity. That’s close to your destination, right?”

DJ considers for a second. Tenacity is about a hundred miles out, but still extremely far from the ocean. _I’ll take it._ “Perfect!” he says, plastering on a grin. “Thank you so much.”

“The back seat’s a little cluttered, but you two oughta fit just fine,” the woman says, flashing a beautiful smile. She unlocks her doors and the two boys hop in, shifting around a few suitcases and a large art portfolio. “So, what are two young boys doing, heading alone to the ocean?”  
DJ and Alex look over at each other, minds racing for what to say.

“We, uh, we’re travelling across the country. It’s on both of our bucket lists and we decided, hey, why not?” DJ says. The excuse is forced and awkward, and Alex winces as he listens. The woman, however, doesn’t seem bothered.

“Why, that’s wonderful!” she says. “It’s great to see kids out and about, but… Aren’t your parents worried?”

“They actually… Encouraged this! They wanted us to go on this trip, and they’re checking in with us through text every couple hours.”

“Ah, good. I hope you two have a safe journey. Do you mind if I play music?”

“We don’t mind, it’s your car after all.”

The woman turns on the radio, and the rest of the car ride is only filled with overplayed pop songs and commercials. DJ slowly takes Alex’s phone out of his pocket, takes out the money in the case, and wedges it in between the seat cushions, making sure it’s well-hidden. He looks at Alex and winks, gesturing to the seat. Alex lets out a breath and nods at him.

After about an hour, the woman pulls off the freeway and starts heading towards a hotel. DJ and Alex sit up, looking out at the town. “ _Tenacity Gift Shop_ ” gives away their location, as they had missed the Tenacity welcome sign in favor of falling asleep for a few minutes. They both let out a small sigh of relief, thankful that their hitchhiking attempt didn’t result in their deaths. The woman turns off the radio.

“Alright, here we are!” she says cheerfully, unlocking the doors. As the two get out, she cocks her eyebrow. “Wait, if you’re travelling so far, where’s your luggage?”

DJ simply laughs, taking Alex’s hand and walking slowly backwards. “Thanks for the ride!” With that, he turns around and walks quickly into a nearby shop. He looks out the window as the car lingers, but drives away after a moment. He turns and leans back against the wall, still clutching Alex’s hand. Alex chuckles nervously, and DJ lets go with a sheepish cough.

“I think we’re safe,” Alex says. “Do you have any money?”

“We’re hella lucky I’ve still got my wallet on me. It’s got my card and a ten.”

“Thank god.” Alex leans against the wall, letting out a breath. “Do you still have the five that was in my phone case?”

“Mm-hm.” DJ pulls out the five-dollar bill before hesitating and putting it into his wallet. “How about I hold onto the money in my wallet, yeah?”

“Uh, sure,” Alex says, not missing the odd pause between DJ’s sentences. “How much is on your card?”

DJ thinks for a moment. “Like, a little over a hundred.”

Alex whoops. “I’ve never been so happy that you act like some rich kid!”

DJ laughs, playfully shoving Alex back. “Hey, the only reason I saved up to a hundred was so I’d stop getting emails from the bank about how poor I am!”

“Yeah, on second though, you could never pull off the rich kid style,” Alex says. DJ sticks out his tongue and snatches Alex’s hat, fitting it over his mane of curly hair. Alex jumps at him and tries to get it back, and the two are interrupted by the cashier clearing his throat. The man glares at both of them, and the two quickly leave the corner store.

“Deej,” Alex whispers once they’re out the door. “My wings.”

“Your--” DJ pauses to lower his voice. “Your wings? What about them?”

“They’re not feelin’ too hot. I wanna move ‘em.”

“Um.” DJ looks around at the people walking by. He grabs Alex’s hand, leading him through the city until he sees a path heading down to the docks. After a while of walking, they make it down to a rather remote location on the shore. 

Tenacity is an odd city; it resides on a hill right next to the lake, with the very top of the hill ending in a relatively small cliff that drops off into the lake. DJ and Alex take refuge under the cliff, as no one seems to be out on the lake, considering the cloudy weather. Alex carefully takes off the hoodie and DJ helps him out of the bandages. DJ nearly gags when he sees Alex’s back, caked in dry blood with the gnarled mess of his sweater hanging off of him. As he looks closer, though, he notices that the wound itself is nearly gone. The skin around Alex’s shoulder blades is irritated and cracked, but the giant gory wounds that once took up a majority of his back are gone.

“Can you help me with my sweater?” Alex asks.

“Sure,” DJ mumbles, still in awe. “Wait a second. You changed when you got home?” Alex starts chuckling. “So you did just wear the floral shirt just to piss me off!” Alex’s chuckling turns to laughter, and DJ can’t help but join in. “You dick!” The laughter eases the tension in the air, and DJ carefully cuts away Alex’s sweater without a hitch. Alex wades into the water and DJ helps him wash off the blood.

DJ steps back and stares. Alex’s wings are a deep, royal purple, accented with a slightly lighter and warmer shade. The scales all differ slightly in hue, blending together from a distance. Alex turns to see why DJ stopped.

“Um.” DJ stammers. “Sorry. I think you’re all good.”

Alex smiles at him, face tinted red. His smile drops, though, as he looks down and groans. “My shorts are soaked, and my sweater is long gone.”

“I’ll go get you some new stuff,” DJ says hurriedly. “Just like, a t-shirt and… Yeah. I’ll get a bag too.”

Alex laughs, wading back to the shore and sitting down on the sand. “Alright, man. If anyone comes down here, I’ll hide.”

“Have fun with that.” DJ flashes a quick smile before heading into town. He finds a thrift store and picks up a purple shirt and simple cargo shorts, along with the cheapest sweater he can find. He finds a cheap backpack in another shop and buys it, throwing all his stuff into it. As he’s heading down to the beach, he’s relieved to see Alex still sitting there, DJ’s jacket wrapped around his shoulders and wings. He clears his throat, and Alex jumps a foot in the air.

“Relax, it’s just me,” DJ assures, sitting down next to his friend. He takes out the shirt and shorts and tosses them to Alex, who raises an eyebrow at DJ. DJ gets the hint and turns his back, trying not to laugh. However, when Alex mutters, “I forgot about my wings…” DJ can’t help but burst out laughing. He cuts two slits into the back of Alex’s shirt, though he has to make them bigger twice before Alex’s wings can fit. Alex experimentally stretches his wings, and DJ holds back a gasp as they glitter in the sunlight.

“Jesus,” DJ murmurs. “Look at those things.”

“Yeah,” Alex says, equally as awed. He flexes them, swinging them forwards and folding them back. He folds them out again, taking in the size and wingspan. Each wing is double his width, and almost as tall as him.

DJ takes a step forward, holding out his hand and looking over at Alex. “Can I?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

DJ brushes his fingers along the flesh of the wing, trailing up to the top of the wing. There’s something akin to a thumb with a hooked claw at the joint between the top edge and the leading edge. As DJ goes to touch it, Alex’s wing suddenly jerks back. Both of them scream briefly, jumping back away from each other.

“Jesus fuck!” DJ says, keeping his distance. “What was that?!”

“I-I don’t know!” Alex stammers. “It-- It’s like-- It’s like when the doctor hits your knee with a hammer! It’s a reflex.”

“Shit,” DJ whispers. “Damn. This is so cool.”

Alex cracks an unsure smile that slowly grows genuine. “Yeah, it kinda is.”

“Can you fly?” DJ asks, stepping towards Alex again with renewed excitement.

“Considering I just got these things yesterday, I doubt it. I’d rather not bash my head into the rocks right now.”

“Fair enough.”

The two sit down on the sand, looking up at the gray sky. The silence between them isn’t uncomfortable, and after a couple minutes, Alex leans against DJ and closes his eyes. DJ smiles, feeling his heart start to beat a little faster. For a moment, it’s like nothing ever changed. For a moment, they’re still sitting back in Fortitude. For a moment, they’re safe and happy.

For a moment, it’s perfect.  
Then the moment ends.

Alex shifts, jerking away from DJ. DJ startles and looks over at Alex.

“What is it?” DJ asks as Alex frantically looks around. Alex looks at DJ, and DJ notices a change in Alex’s eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher before Alex looks away again.

“We have to go,” Alex says, standing up quickly. “I heard someone. C’mon, get up!”

DJ stands, brushing sand off his jeans and grabbing his hoodie. Alex folds his wings down close to his back, and DJ helps him quickly put on the hoodie. The bottom of the hoodie reaches halfway down Alex’s thigh, but the bottom of his wings still poke out from underneath the fabric. 

“Keep your back to the cliff,” DJ hisses, picking up on the footsteps and laughter approaching from the hill next to the cliff. Alex nods, sitting down against the cliffside and pulling up his hood. DJ scrambles to grab Alex’s ruined sweatshirt and shoves it under a heavy rock sitting next to the cliff. As he straightens up, four teenagers walk down to the beach. The four spot DJ and Alex, and all start giggling. DJ’s anxiety spikes and he tries to look calm, moving to sit next to Alex.

It’s a while before the four kids finally leave, whispering to each other about DJ and Alex. When they finally go back up the hill and their laughter can no longer be heard, Alex lets out a breath.

“Kids are terrifying,” he mutters.

“They didn’t look any older than us,” DJ comments.

“Still.”

DJ starts snickering and Alex joins him. The two laugh the stress and pressure away, leaning against each other and looking out over the glittering lake.


End file.
